One of 358/2 Days most appealing features is the new Multiplayer mode. The Multiplayer mode in 358/2 Days promises all of the members of Organization XIII available as playable characters, and may even include the new XIVth member. Although, it should be noted that all players will have to play as a unique character, meaning there can't be two Axels or two Xigbars playing at one time.
The Multiplayer mode takes place in a separate universe from the Single Player mode and isn't considered to be part of the games story and is only there for fun. Up to four people can play together as any Organization Member they choose as they work together to complete various missions, with some asking you to kill heartless, fight each-other, or even search for items.
The missions in Multiplayer are unlocked by beating the missions in Single Mode. Every time you complete a mission in Single Mode it is unlocked for playing in Multiplayer mode. These missions include things such as defeating Heartless, and escaping from Areas via teamwork. They are also set to include a lot of gimmicks and puzzles and that the map will be used to keep track of things as well. Many of the missions are designed for short play throughs in Multiplayer and they can be played multiple times. They also mentioned that Scores will be kept on various things during Multiplayer, such as "attack". But they also stress that working together is not the only thing you can do and that there is great potential for waging a competition or contest.
Also, when you complete missions in Multiplayer, the experience you gain from completing those tasks are given to Roxas in Single Mode. For example, if you were to play as Axel and do a few missions in Multiplayer mode, the experience you gained from doing that would affect your Single Mode file. They have also said that they are thinking of an item system that works in a similar fashion.
Also in Multiplayer Mode, the bottom screen is being revamped from Single Mode to offer the ability to chat to other players by use of the Nintendo DS Stylus. This chatting system will differ from PictoChat in that all of the players will write on the same screen. Nomura and co are also considering adding a few action buttons to the screen, but noted that these would be for actions that didn't affect gameplay. Nomura has also added that they are thinking of missions that will implement this chat feature.
Also, the Limit Gauge from Single Mode will make a reappearance, allowing for co-op techniques to be used. Originally the chairs of the Organization Members would move up or down based on succeeding or failing a mission, but they may change that feature for the final product release.
DK∑7313 brought on many surprises, one of which was that the player-status icons had gone through yet another change (click Here to see a comparison shot). This change however, was the sudden removal of both the MP bar and the Limit Gauge! Now, only your HP bar was visible.
These changes have not yet been explained by Nomura and co, nor have they even addressed what has happened to the Limit Gauge. What has happened with MP, however, has been explained. Basically, each spell has a set limit of number of times you can use it before it needs to recharge again. For example, say someone could use Fire 8 times before they had to wait a while before using it again. This means that spells are no longer at a semi-unlimited basis, offering a bit of a challenge for the player.
Also among the changes is a new "Chains!" counter up in the top-left hand corner of the top screen. The exact details of what this does is unknown, but it seems to go up each time you lay an attack on an enemy consecutively (based on the gameplay video above).
Also, Camera control has been assigned to the touch screen. By running your finger across the touch screen, one can change the camera from left to right. Though, this feature was designed with the idea of one using their finger to control the camera, since they got reports from fellow staff that it wasn't ideal when using the stylus. Therefore, the stylus is optional.
In the current version you could only change the survey left to right, though the opinion of the staff was that it would be inconvenient unless the player could also look up. Nomura teased, saying that the current version shown to the public (the demo) was only one part of the game and that at this time there are more cool things to do and to look forward to it.
(For more details on how Multiplayer works, be sure to check out the "Demo Impressions" section below.)
Speaking on the concept of multiplayer, Nomura has said that they wanted to the multiplayer mode to be enjoyable for many people and not simply become something like a bonus feature, therefore it is something that everyone can play together. And that even at the party, the majority of the people's opinions was that the multiplayer was very popular.
He said that they wanted to create something that four players could communicate and enjoy together, but not be something that would just steal the game's attention. The experience made in the main story can be utilized in the multplayer mode, likewise the experience made in multiplayer can be used in the main story. This system reflects them mutually.
Nomura said that while the player can choose from any of the members of the Organization, growth among them would be a common element and that the characters can be customized based on the progress of Roxas in the main story. That growth is based on parts of data being transferred which Nomura believes is a fairly bold thing to do.
In Nintendo Dream Magazine, 358/2 Days was listed as having Download Play and Wi-Fi as "TBA". Also, due to the touch screen now being utilized for camera control, it is unknown if that means that the Chat function intended for the touch screen has been removed or not.
